Biochar as a Reinforcing Filler for Rubber Tires

轮胎级橡胶主要由弹性体和填料（例如二氧化硅和炭黑）组成。这些填料通过提供增强作用来提高弹性体的刚性。除了成本相对较高之外，炭黑是由不可再生的石油原料制成的，并且制造过程污染严重。 这个为期三年的项目将重点研究利用被视为农业废物的原料作为生产轮胎行业高质量填充剂的起始材料的潜力。将根据纤维素、木质纤维素和木质素的含量，选择广泛使用的农业废物作为原料。选定的原料将在实验室规模的批量热解装置下进行热解。 将确定一些物理化学性质，例如孔隙率、密度、表面积、形状和尺寸、官能团的测定以及其他性质。 根据实验室规模热解获得的结果，为生物炭提供所需性能的原料和实验条件将被扩大规模。使用生物炭的橡胶复合材料将在米其林公司的研究设施中生产。样品将被送往麦吉尔大学测定其热性能和机械性能。新型橡胶轮胎的性能将与填充炭黑的传统橡胶轮胎进行比较。 由于生物炭将由低成本原料合成，该项目有可能为米其林提供更加可持续、环保且生产经济的橡胶轮胎新配方。加拿大人将受益于这些新型、可持续和环保的轮胎，受益于对生物炭的特性和其他潜在应用的更好了解，受益于经过培训以解决围绕这些新型弹性体填料和其他生物炭产品合成的一些关键研发和制造问题的高素质人员。

Tire grade rubbers are composed primarily of elastomers and fillers such as silica and carbon black. These fillers increase the rigidity of elastomers by providing reinforcement. In addition to being relatively costly, carbon black is made from non-renewable petroleum feedstocks, and the manufacturing process is highly polluting. This 3-years project will focus on the potential of using feedstock considered as agricultural wastes as starting materials for the production of high quality fillers for the tire industry. Widely available agricultural wastes will be selected as feedstock depending on their content in cellulose, lignocellulose and lignin. The selected feedstocks will undergo pyrolysis under a lab-scale batch pyrolysis unit. Several physico-chemical properties such as the porosity, density, surface area, shape and size, the determination of the the functional groups, among other properties will be determined. Based on the results obtained with the lab-scale pyrolysis, the feedstock and experimental conditions which have provided biochar with desirable properties will be scaled-up. Rubber composite materials using biochar will be produced in the Michelin Inc. research facilities. Samples will be sent to McGill University for the determination of their thermal and mechanical properties. The properties if the new rubber tires will be compared to conventional rubber tires filled with carbon black. Since the biochar will be synthesized from low cost feedstocks, this project has the potential to deliver to Michelin new formulations for rubber tires that are more sustainable, environmentally-friendly and economical to produce. Canadians will benefit from these new, sustainable and eco-friendly tires, from the better understanding gained in the properties and other potential applications of biochar and from the highly qualified personnel trained to address some of the critical R&D and manufacturing issues surrounding the synthesis of these new elastomer fillers and other biochar-based products.